SEIKO 6105-8110 DIVER'S WATCH 'VIETNAM WAR VETERAN'S MEMORABILIA' LUEL MAGAZINE AUG. 2015
When diver watch was first developed, it belonged to the family of professional diving equipment. It remained as such until diving emerged among ordinary people as a popular sports in the 1960's, no longer limited to the field of military and deep seal exploration. Diver's life was dependent on this small piece of gear, so diver watches had to pass the strict test of water-proofness, durability and high visibility under water.
SEIKO DIVER'S 1960'S ~1980'S
Of course not all diver watches in early days could satisfy these criteria. It was during those days when Seiko dared to introduce its own diver watch.
The company set up a simple rule - Seiko must produce diver watches better in every way than the front-running Swiss watchmakers, and this simple philosophy was clearly reflected in their products. Seiko also earned a good reputation for their flexibility to apply actual divers' feedbacks immediately to their follow-up models. Thanks to this company policy, Seiko won victory after victory in the market since the 150 meter waterproof diver watch was introduced in 1965 till its 1,000 meter model.
6105-8110 AD from 1970's
In the photo above is Seiko's 6105-8110 model from the 6105 series, which is one of the most popular diver watches Seiko ever produced. This model was in production relatively for a long time from 1968 to 1977, not only because of its high value for the reasonable price, but also thanks to the military demand during the Vietnam War - as one can see the production period overlap with the wartime.
This particular model also enjoyed extra fame when Hollywood actor Martin Sheen as Captain Willard wore this watch in Francis Ford Coppola's epic Vietnam War movie 'Apocalypse Now' in 1979. Now nicknamed as 'Willard's watch' or 'Martin Sheen's Seiko', 6105-8110 model has gained extra premium in the market, so a well-preserved vintage now costs over 10 times higher than it was 30 years ago.
NOSTIME VINTAGE WATCHES